Our book review is a follow-up to Meet the Puritans reviewed in the July/August edition of the Elim Refresher. The topic is prayer, published in one volume as three essays titled Prayer by John Bunyan, The Return of Prayer by Thomas Goodwin, and The Saint’s Jewel by Thomas Shepard. Read more…
Posted on September 1st, 2008 by Scott
Filed under: From the Church Library
Our book review this month is Meet the Puritans, a compilation of short biographies on over 150 Puritans from England, New England, Scotland and the Netherlands. The authors, Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson, review 700 books written by these Reformed authors. (The term “Puritan” was first used in the 1560’s to refer to English Protestants who called for further reforms under Queen Elizabeth.) The writings under consideration almost vanished as a whole but were brought back into the public eye by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and others.
These are the Puritans familiar to me before looking over the current book under review: Henry Ainsworth, Issac Ambrose, John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, Matthew Henry, Benjamin Keach, John Owen and Ralph Erskine. So I only missed about 130!
Meet the Puritans, having about 900 pages, is suitable for months—or even years!—of extended study; or you can just look up your favorites. New to Elim’s library, this book will provide a wide scope of Reformed Christian writings done over a period of about 200 years.
Here’s a trivia question: In 17th century England, the books most frequently read by children were the Holy Scriptures and John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. If you can guess the third most popular children’s preference, I guess you don’t need to read this book!
Posted on July 1st, 2008 by Scott
Filed under: From the Church Library
For review this month, Our Sufficiency in Christ by a familiar author in Elim’s library, Dr. John MacArthur. Instead of a complete overview, I feel that there are several paragraphs that represent the jist of the book. Read more…
Posted on May 1st, 2008 by Janet
Filed under: Elim Refresher Newsletter, From the Church Library
It’s February, the shortest month of the year, as I write this review. And I’ve just finished reading the shortest book yet to be reviewed—96 pages! This will also be the shortest book review to date. And yes, we sing Doxology , a very short song, almost every Sunday. Read more…
Posted on March 1st, 2008 by Scott
Filed under: Elim Refresher Newsletter, From the Church Library
Our book review this month is The Sovereignty of God by Arthur W. Pink. This book was recently given to those who attend the Tuesday morning BIble study, but I am confident a copy will find its way into the library. It is also worth mentioning that we are reading a book similar in subject to two previous reviews, Sinners in the Hands of a Good God and Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ. Read more…
Posted on February 1st, 2008 by Scott
Filed under: Elim Refresher Newsletter, From the Church Library
Our book review this month is The Unfolding Message of the Bible by G. Campbell Morgan. If you can’t or are not willing to “read through the Bible in a year”, this could be an alternative. Keep in mind, this overview is not inspired; however, at over 500 pages, it is united and complete in terms of relating the entire canon of the Bible in a manual all can appreciate. Read more…
Posted on December 1st, 2007 by Scott
Filed under: From the Church Library
As a follow-up to last month’s reviewed book on soteriology by David Clotfelter, Sinners in the Hands of a Good God—Reconciling Divine Judgement and Mercy, we’re going to look at another book written almost 4 centuries ago. Clotfelter’s book offers a clear and easy-to-understand style of writing. John Bunyan, on the other hand, is a master of complexity, so intricately integrating the same subject in his soteriological book, Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ, taken from this verse: All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out (John 6:37). Read more…
Posted on November 1st, 2007 by Scott
Filed under: From the Church Library
Our book review this month is Sinners in the Hands of a Good God—Reconciling Divine Judgement and Mercy, which is new to our library. The topic under consideration is soteriology—”so great a salvation”. Read more…
Posted on October 1st, 2007 by Scott
Filed under: From the Church Library
This little book is a timely review in light of another book recently reviewed, which was The Truth War, by Dr. John MacArthur. That work left off with post-modernism in the church, and that is where this fine book begins. But first, the author gives us definite guidelines for true church organization, Read more…
Posted on September 1st, 2007 by Scott
Filed under: From the Church Library
This book is a doctrinal study of postmodernism and other erosions into the integrity of the churches in America. (Editor’s note: a working definition of postmodernism could be this: “Post-modern Christianity is just as difficult to lock down in a concise definition as post-modernism itself. What started in the 1950’s in architecture as a reaction to modernist thought and style was soon adopted by the art and literary world in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The Church didn’t really feel this effect until the 1990’s. Read more…
Posted on August 8th, 2007 by Scott
Filed under: From the Church Library
